I know this topic is quite old, but I use video cameras on a daily basis so I'll give my input.
In my opinion the only brand to buy is Sony, but I'm very biased to them. In the end it comes down to the storage medium, features and price point you're looking for.
Zoom - Don't get something fixed or digital zoom, both suck. Pay a little extra and get something with proper optical zoom.
Focus - A manual focus option can come in handy even if you can't imagine using it. Some cheap cameras won't have it.
Storage - Something that takes storage like SD cards or with a built in HD. SD is a little easier to deal with.
HD - Get something that does proper HD because some don't. 1920x1080 is what you want not 1440x1080 or other resolutions.
Accessories - You might or might not need them, but having the option to add things like lights and extra mics to a camera can be useful. If you can't see why you might want this then don't worry too much.
Batteries - A lot of cheap cameras now come with built in batteries. I think that's a terrible option because they will die over time and you can't easily replace them. Also if you're on a trip a mains socket is not always near whereas a second battery can be carried.
Something like this is would likely be fine for you (It's good on all points except accessories):
http://store.sony.com/p/Sony-Handycam-Full-HD-Camcorder/en/p/HDRCX220/R#specifications